Young progressives Articles

Judging by David Cameron’s performance at PMQs, the union movement must be braced for a forthright attack if the Tories were to win the next general election

The peace and prosperity enjoyed in Northern Ireland since the Good Friday agreement is embedded, but fragile. The next delicate step to full peace is the devolution of police and justice powers. It is widely believed that if the Conservatives win the general election they will not have a majority. This is a contributing factor to the Tories linking up with the UUP to increase the number of House of Commons seats that Cameron could command support from.

Calls for demonstrations on 11 February, the day of the anniversary of the 1979 revolution, failed to produce the turnout hoped for by the opposition. The regime had prepared well: militias and police were out in force, communications interrupted, and regime supporters bussed in to Tehran.

If Labour hasn’t yet chosen its election theme music it could do worse than to ask Mick Hucknall for the rights to Money’s Too Tight to Mention. The voters might appreciate the brutal honesty and, thankfully, the song ought to be available on the cheap. After all, it’s not just the Treasury and millions of ordinary families that are strapped for cash. The Labour party is broke too. For the first time since the disastrous 1983 campaign it can expect to be massively outspent by the Conservatives in the forthcoming general election.